The people’s pharmacist

A career of owning and operating rural pharmacies began for one University of Otago alumna by stepping into the unknown.

Born and raised in Christchurch, Eliza Hood describes herself as a driven person who wants to be the best pharmacist and business owner she can be. But her pathway to this occupation wasn’t straightforward.

Though she enjoyed maths and science at school, her hard-working personality first led her to a career in sports, with Eliza representing New Zealand in squash in 2009.

“Growing up, squash was my passion and being an all-or-nothing kind of person, I followed that career until I was faced with the decision of continuing or pursuing academics,” Eliza says.

With a father who enjoyed his time studying medicine at the University of Otago, Eliza decided to conclude her squash career to pursue healthcare studies, initially having an interest in physiotherapy, which stemmed from her time in sports.

However, after a challenging first year of studies, Eliza realised a career as a pharmacist aligned far more with who she was and her life goals.

“I will admit my first year of university was a horrible one for me personally, but things got much better once I achieved my goal of making it into the pharmacy programme.

“I made friends that have stayed with me through life, and really enjoyed the culture and support I received within the School.

“My grandfather was a pharmacist and so growing up my siblings and I spent a great deal of time at his pharmacy in Northlands Shopping Centre, so the occupation felt like a natural fit for me.

“The work-life balance, ability to become a business owner, and the opportunity to engage in lifelong learning and communicate with people was hugely appealing.”

Fast forward a few years and Eliza, alongside her husband and children, now own three pharmacies, two in the West Coast and one in Gisborne.

Eliza says her days are incredibly varied with tasks ranging from clinically checking prescriptions and patient counselling, through to working with her management team to improve their systems to be as efficient and productive as possible.

“My passion is in community pharmacy and, working rurally, I feel I make a real difference.

“I love working as a team with technicians, retail and other health professionals, and my very competitive nature probably helps me to be at the top of the pharmacy scope.”

Eliza’s passion for rural community pharmacy began during her time at Otago, as one of the early adopters of the University’s Tairāwhiti Interprofessional Education programme.

She encourages students to take part in the Greymouth rural interprofessional programme, describing it as an unmissable experience that shapes a person’s career.

“When School of Pharmacy staff told us about the programme, I applied immediately as I loved the idea of getting real-life work experience.

“The Tairāwhiti programme was the only one at that stage, and it was competitive entry because no one wanted to miss out on the then-novel experience of seeing what rural healthcare was like.”

During her time in Tairāwhiti, Eliza was able to observe and, on occasion, interact with patients undergoing medical and dental procedures, even working with a dietician at one point.

Eliza says the varied experience at an early stage of her career was invaluable in shaping her practice and resulted in her developing meaningful professional and personal relationships that have remained even as the years have gone on.

“By staying in a rural town, I got exposed to the best of community pharmacy.

“If any healthcare students are tossing up between being based in a rural area or a city, I would encourage them to give rural living a chance because there is something so wonderful about these communities that you can’t find anywhere else.”

- Kōrero by the Division of Health Sciences Communications Adviser, Kelsey Swart.